


Maria, Oh Maria

by The_Drowsy_Captain



Series: It Started With Cadet Training [7]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Kid Bertolt Hoover, Kid Reiner Braun, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Orphans, Other, Polyamory, Pre-Canon, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:06:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Drowsy_Captain/pseuds/The_Drowsy_Captain
Summary: No one had expected Wall Maria to fall. All you could do was help pick up the damage and broken pieces. You'd just finished your work for the day when two small boys asked for help to find their uncle.Your little family got a little bigger that day.Second Arc of 'It Started With Cadet Training'
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Erwin Smith & Mike Zacharias & Hange Zoë & Original Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Erwin Smith & Mike Zacharias & Hange Zoë & Reader, Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith/Mike Zacharias/Hange Zoë/Original Character(s), Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith/Mike Zacharias/Hange Zoë/Reader
Series: It Started With Cadet Training [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141619
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	Maria, Oh Maria

No one had expected an attack on the wall. You were not prepared by any means, even when you’d received notice of the wall breach it was too late for any of the scouts to launch into the action, the city already overrun with titans with no identity to the attacking titans.

So the scouts had been placed on damage control. Which meant your squad was currently responsible for a sector in the city where refugees from the Shiganshina district were being filtered.

Your squad, Rashad, Lauda, and Deiter’s squads had been given citizen care; locating lost children, identifying the dead, and passing out blankets and water.

Dirk, Marlene, and Klaus’s squads had tasked with finding all those dead they could. Darius and Levi’s squads were in charge of protecting Dirk, Marlene, and Klaus’s squads.

Hange and Harold’s squads were attending to the wounded.

Finally, Erwin and Mike were working together with the other military sections to make sure they had enough room and board for those displaced.

You’d been helping out a few families, finally reuniting the toddler who’d been separated from her parents. Wiping off your brow, you sat down on a nearby bench, checking over your list of tasks. You’d handed out all your supplies, checked up on the number of families you’d been required to look after, and identified a few of the dead bodies that’d been brought into the morgue.

It was about time you went to go see Erwin and Mike, you thought to yourself as you stood up from the bench. Turning to walk down the hall, something tugs on your pant leg, snagging your attention.

You turn towards what had snagged on your pants, staring at a skinny boy, no older than six, with short black hair and a narrow face. Tears were running down his cheeks as he clutched your pant leg, as well as the hand of the boy standing behind him. A slightly shorter boy with shaggy blond hair and eyes that kept darting everywhere.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” you quietly murmur, crouching down and taking out a handkerchief. “Did you lose your parents?”

The boy nods as you wipe the snot and tears on his face.

“W-we can’t find our uncle anywhere,” he sniffles.

“Okay calm down, deep breaths- I’ll help you find him. What’s your name?” you explain, watching him rub his eyes. How’d you manage to miss another family missing a kid?

“B-Bertolt,” he sniffles- “That’s Reiner,” he says, nodding to the blond next to him.

“It’s nice to meet you Bertolt and Reiner, I’m (Y/N). Why don’t we go find your uncle? Okay?” you state, rising up as Bertolt nods again. You startle slightly as Reiner reaches up, a nervous expression on his face.

“You want up?” you ask, crouching back down.

He nods his head slowly, glancing around the hallway.

“Alright, you can help point out your uncle then. Okay?” you hum, reaching forwards for Reiner.

“Me too?” Bertolt requests quietly.

You smile at him and nod, picking up first and placing him on your shoulders. He holds on tightly, producing a chuckle from your lips as you pick up Riener and place him on your hip. He curls in close, gripping your scout jacket.

“Are you two comfortable?” you double-check, waiting for a response.

“Yeah,” Bertolt confirms for you, signalling you to start walking again.

You head down the hall, back towards the large room where the refugees were currently allowed to relax to make it easier to do death counts and reconnect families. Bertolt and Reiner clung to you as you walked around, looking with them for anyone missing their kids. You even checked with your squad members as they passed by. No one had seen their uncle.

Eventually, you stumble upon one of the members of the Garrison responsible for Shiganshina’s protection.

“Hannes!” you call out, walking up to the older man with short blond hair and a scruffy mustache.

Reiner and Bertolt were still clinging to you, but you swore that Reiner had fallen asleep due to the even breathes against your side and his loser grip.

“Ah, well if it isn’t Captain (Y/N). Who you’ve got there? More orphans?” he chuckles, taking a swig of his flask.

“You’re one to talk. You practically crashed in here with two little ones yourself,” you retort, rolling your eyes with a huff.

“At least I knew where to find their dad so he could take care of ‘em,” Hannes points out, producing a small whimper from Bertolt.

“Hannes, now is not the time for grudges,” you admit with a huff, “Have you seen these two in your drunken hazes?”

He studies the kids for a moment, squinting as he looks them over with a critical eye. Or at least as critical as he could get while nearly black-out drunk.

“Nope. Never seen ‘em in my life. You could check with ma’ squad but I haven’t seen the squirts.”

“Hannes, some days you truly are no help,” you grumble, pinching the bridge of your nose with your free hand.

“Honest to the Gods (Y/N), I’ve never seen ‘em,” he defends himself. At least he was certain about something. Even if it was terribly unhelpful.

“Thanks anyway, I guess,” you grumble dismissively as you walk off to continue looking.

“(Y/N), wait-!” he calls out, shuffling to catch up to you- “Let me help. I finished my tasks, the least I can do is help look for their uncle.”

“You’re just saying that because you know Erwin would have your Commander tan your hide,” you sigh, waving your hand slightly.

“I’m saying it because it’s the polite thing to do,” he insists, grabbing your wrist and stilling your hand.

You look at him for a moment, scanning his face carefully. He’s void of anything but his usual drunken smile.

“Okay fine. Having help wouldn’t hurt.”

He grins at you as you continue to walk. He does actually help, despite being drunk, he goes from person to person, sharing the workload as you ask around if anyone had seen their uncle before. Each time you get the same response, ‘no’.

By the time that the sun was setting in the sky, you still haven't found their uncle. Hannes had walked off, taken away by his squad when his drunken mood turned from chipper to sullen, and then sobbing. You’d heard bits and pieces of his story over the years, his love for another man’s wife, yet he waited until nearly black-out to tell you she was eaten earlier. You were mostly appalled he’d say something so vulgar in front of the two children you were holding, but you let it slide. Everyone had seen the violence today.

“Sorry guys, I don’t know where they are,” you admit, patting Bertolt’s leg as you shifted Reiner, who’d started to slowly slip down your hip.

“It’s okay, thanks anyway,” Bertolt mumbles, resting his head on top of yours. You had to admit, it was getting heavy to keep holding them, but you knew how tired they were and right now you were focused on what you were going to do.

“Excuse me Captain, but I overheard you talking with a few people about these two, and-” someone behind you says, you whip around before they can finish speaking, coming eye to eye with an old lady, her white hair tied behind her head in a bun and a solemn smile on her face.

“Yes? Do you know their uncle?!” you ask excitedly, ready to go collapse knowing that they’d be safe and sound.

She shakes her head and your heart sinks in your chest.

“Not exactly. I saw them earlier with their uncle, but they’ve brought his body back from the city,” she says sadly, offering you and the two boys an apologetic smile, her brows creased up.

Your heart sank further into your chest as you registered her words.

“Thank you, ma’am, you’ve been a big help-” you say, turning and walking off. She gives you a warm smile as you turn around.

“Of course, dear. Take care.”

“Do you two have anyone else? An aunt? Your mom and dad? Grandparents?” you ask, looking up at Bertolt through the strands of hair in front of your face.

He shakes his head sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“N-no… we haven’t seen them for months,” he admits with a quivering frown on his lips.

You reach up and pat his leg as your mind starts to form a plan. You’d already dismissed your squadron for the day, you weren’t even sure if anyone was around to take them. There were hardly any orphanages here, let alone one that would take two small kids from a Scout Regiment Captain. If you’d been an M.P. or a Garrison they would’ve been more lenient but all they’d see would be a scared Captain abandoning their kids.

“What happened to your family?” you ask after a long drawn out sigh.

“Plague,” Reiner grumbles, the first thing he’d said all day, “Uncle took us.”

The truth stung worse than you wish it had. These two were orphans. Without someone to adopt them they’d grow up on the streets, alone and cold and- before you could stop yourself, your mind had already started formulating a plan. Your legs moving on their own accord as you headed down the hall towards the meeting room that Erwin and Mike had been in all day.

At the very least, hopefully, you’d have Levi to back you up on this. It was a gamble, but you couldn’t bear to leave the two of them to the streets. Reiner was slightly bulky in your arms but you could still feel the outline of his ribs against your side. Bertolt was far too light on your shoulders to be considered anything but underweight. You couldn’t leave them to starve on the streets.

“How would you two like to come to stay with me for a while? I know it’s not the best but it’s better than finding you guys somewhere else to stay,” you suggest, walking down the hall slowly to give them time to reply.

“I know I’m not your family, but at least you’d have a roof over your heads.”

“You promise?” Bertolt whispers quietly.

You blink a few times before nodding your head, knowing he can see it.

“Of course. I said I’d help find your uncle, and we eventually did find him- so the least I can do is make sure you two are taken care of.”

“You’re really nice,” Reiner mumbles against your shirt, slumping against you.

“I’m just doing my job,” you dismiss. If this was their definition of nice, you were slightly concerned for how they were brought up. You brushed it off however as the sound of boots against wood sounded throughout the hallway.

Looking up, you saw a familiar scruffy blond man walking down the hallway in your direction.

“Mike!” you cheer, speed walking towards him so that the two little ones wouldn’t fall down.

“(Y/N)!” he calls back, running up to you and meeting you halfway.

Without warning, he lifts you up by the waist, spinning you around in his arms before setting you back down, his forehead resting against yours as he bends down slightly.

“Where have you been? We’ve heard reports from every squad but yours,” he inquires, focused on your eyes rather than the two children staring at him with wide eyes.

“Ugh, I told Deiter to tell you two that I was going to be later. Sorry love,” you apologize, offering him a small smile.

“It’s alright, I’m just glad you’re safe. What were you even doing all day? You’re supposed to be done with your tasks by now,” he rambles, finally noticing the two small boys clinging to you, watching him silently.

“I finished- I swear. I was coming to find you two and get you to take a break, but these two asked for help,” you emphasize your point by shifting Reiner up on your hip. “Hannes even tried to help, but we couldn’t find their uncle until…” you sigh, your sentence trailing off.

Mike reaches forwards, carefully taking Reiner off your hip, drawing a sigh of relief from your lips as he rests him against his chest. You reach up, copying the action with Bertolt to let your shoulders relax.

“Hannes helped you? That’s a new one,” Mike chuckles, gently cradling the back of Reiner’s head with his palm. Reiner had yet to protest, silently you swore you heard small snores from him.

“Yeah, it was weird. But then his squad took him home- he was shit-faced- so I was left alone. I didn’t get any information on their uncle until some old lady told me that- Marlene’s squad brought him in,” you sigh, Bertolt lets out a small whimper and you place a hand on his back, rubbing his back slowly as he wrapped his arms around your neck.

You watch Reiner clutch onto Mike’s shirt. A small smile stretched across your lips as Mike looked down at him, murmuring quietly.

“Are you all alone, little guy? No one left that you know?” he murmurs, mostly to himself.

“You know, we don’t have to take him to an orphanage, they-”

“Look like us? Yeah, the one in your arms is a freaky cross of Hange and Levi, and this one looks-” Mike muses with a smile, still enraptured with the tiny boy in his arms.

“Like you or Erwin, and me,” you finish, reclaiming your sentence.

“No one would question it. In the chaos, it would just be seen as a well-kept secret between the captains. We could even say they’re siblings if we had to,” he suggests, rubbing Reiner’s back gently.

“You think Erwin would be okay with it?” you ask, a smile gracing your lips as you watch Reiner curl his head into the crook of Mike’s neck.

“I think even shorty would be okay with it,” he chuckles, looking up to meet your gaze with a smile reflecting your own.

“Did he fall asleep on you?” you whisper as Bertolt’s breathing evens out against your neck.

“Mhm, poor little one’s all tuckered out. You?” he confirms, starting to walk, sticking close to your side.

“Fast asleep, I can’t imagine what they’ve seen today but I’m surprised they’ve stayed awake this long,” you muse, leaning your head against Mike’s shoulder as you walk.

“With the total count we had to calculate, far too much,” he admits with a sigh, trudging back to the conference room with you.

“I’m just glad I didn’t get many orphans today, two are heartbreaking enough,” you mutter, making small circles with your palm on Bertolt’s back.

“Tell me about it,” he agrees, rounding the corner with you.

“Fuck- I’m an idiot- The one you’re holding is Reiner, by the way, and the one I have is Bertolt,” you explain, grimacing at the fact it took you this long to introduce him.

“Thank you, love. But you’re not an idiot,” Mike hums, tilting his head to kiss the top of yours as you reach the conference room door.

Just as you reach out to open the door, it swings open- inwardly thankfully- and you come face to face with Pyxis.

“Ah, Scout Section Commander Mike, and Scout Captain (Y/N)!” he exclaims, causing both of the boys to stir on your chests.

You shoot a hand up to his mouth, muffling him as his eyes blow wide at the two kids in your arms.

“Garrison Commander Pyxis, it’s lovely to see you two. My apologies about that. May we have a word with Erwin?” you whisper, removing your hand from his mouth.

“Of course, I was just leaving. Going to get a drink or two, simmer down the old nerves,” he chuckles, patting you on the shoulder as he sneaks out of the room.

“If you see Hannes, tell him we found out about the uncle. Please, he was a big help today,” you say as he passes by.

“Will do, I’ll put a note down in his file about helping out,” Pyxis dismisses, waving a hand as he walks off down the hall towards the exit.

You sigh as soon as he is out of earshot, turning back to Mike who was trying to get Reiner to fall back to sleep.

“Sorry Reiner, he didn’t mean to wake you,” you murmur, rubbing the poor boy's back.

Reiner turns to you, reaching out his tiny hands.

“Mike, swap?” you quietly ask, looking up at Mike from where you were standing.

He nods his head calmly, turning slightly so he could lower Reiner down to you carefully. Once the boy was safe in your arms, you allowed him to pick up Bertolt from your chest. He was out cold, quietly snoring, and made no move to stir as he was shifted.

“How do you do that?” Mike ponders as he watches Reiner calm down, curling up against your chest and dozing off again.

“He was just disturbed from the noise, don’t take it personally. You got him to sleep in the first place,” you whisper, standing on the tips of your toes to kiss Mike’s cheek.

He chuckles, bending down to kiss your lips chastely as faint pink covers his cheeks.

“Are you two going to stand out here all night, or are you actually going to come in?” Levi asks from the other side of the door.

“Ah, right, sorry,” you flounder as Mike nudges the door open with his boot. Levi helps swing it open so the two of you can step inside.

In the room, there is a large table with a few teacups, a teapot, a bottle of whiskey, a couple of scones, several maps, and one very stressed Erwin with his head in his hands. Levi returns to his spot next to Erwin, tidying away the maps as you look about the room.

You’ve barely taken a step inside when the door swings open again, missing you by an inch, to reveal an out of breath Hange.

“Sorry, I’m late-! We had-” they pause to catch their breath- “We had a patient go into a manic state. We just got them calmed down and restrained,” they pant, their hands on their knees.

You let out a small groan as the tiny boy in your arms grips your shirt tightly, trying to curl in closer. Instinctively, you reach up, bouncing him slightly as you shuffle over to a seat.

“Ssh, it’s okay, I know they’re loud,” you murmur, rubbing circles against his back.

Out of the corner of your eye, you watch Hange shut the door as Erwin stands from his seat, walking over to you with wide eyes and his head tilted slightly. The exhaustion was still plainly written across his face, yet the small smile across his lips was present as he walked up to you.

When he reached you, he held his hands out, mouthing to you:

“May I?”

You nod your head, watching as he reaches down and carefully scoops him up from your arms. He shifted the jacket on his shoulders so that it covered the small boy as well, kissing the top of his head.

“Hey, there little one, what’s wrong? Did they scare you?” he murmurs, his hand resting on Reiner’s back.

“We had just gotten them back to sleep after Pyxis woke them back up, sorry Erwin I-” you started to apologize for being late when he cut you off.

“-There’s no need to apologize, dear. I heard your conversation with Pyxis. Another casualty to the titans?” he looked to you for confirmation, receiving a nod of your head.

“Marlene’s squad brought him in. They don’t have anyone else left- the plague- so I figured that maybe we could take care of them, they don’t really have anywhere else to go and they’re so skinny that if they were on the streets that-” you started to ramble on about your plan.

“Yes,” Erwin says, cutting you off. You blink, looking up to him with your eyebrows raised high.

“Pardon?”

“He said yes, as in we can keep them,” Levi clarifies quietly from the other side of you.

Turning around you could see him enraptured by Bertolt, gently brushing his hair with a slightly tilted head. You had to admit, you’d never seen Levi so calm. Even Hange had quieted down and was leaning against Mike’s shoulder to watch the small child.

“Thank you,” you whisper, kissing Erwin on the jaw.

“Even if I tried to stop you, you would’ve convinced me otherwise,” he chuckles, “Besides, they’re pretty cute. A good fit for us, since they look so much like us.”

You smile, leaning your head against Erwin’s chest, copying Hange, as you gaze at the two blonds holding the tiny boys. There was a certain domestic air about the whole situation, watching your lovers take care of the two children you’ve spent all day with.

“His name is Reiner, and the one Mike’s holding is Bertolt,” you whisper, brushing the hair back from the sleeping Reiner’s face.

“Two strong names for two strong children of the Scout Regiment’s leaders,” Erwin hums, pressing a kiss to Reiner’s head.

“We should go get dinner before these two wake up again so that we don’t have to scare them with walking through the streets,” Levi suggests, stepping back to stretch out his back.

“Good idea, I’m famished,” Erwin agrees with a smile as he drags his attention away from Reiner to Levi.

You smile as a yawn rolls through your body, your mouth stretching wide behind your hand.

“Let’s head out before (Y/N) falls asleep too,” Mike chuckles as you watch Levi take the sleeping Bertolt from him carefully.

“Come on, it was just a yawn,” you protest as Hange comes to stand next to you.

“Lean on me if you fall asleep, okay?” they offer, putting their arm around your waist.

“Thanks, Hange, let’s go. I’ve had enough of this morbid place for one day,” you mutter, slumping against Hange as the five of you- plus the two new additions- exit the office towards the Scout barracks.

**Author's Note:**

> The boys are lying obviously about their parentage- but their "uncle" is someone who went with them to keep an eye on them all because I changed the ages. A group of four six-year-olds would need an escort.


End file.
